Except that the iPad's 1024x768 screen doesn't support 720P HD either, which is 1280x720. That leaves 20% of the width missing.

The snag is, using a 1280x720 screen in portrait mode would feel more like reading from a scroll!

Maybe a 3:2 ratio screen (same as iPhone) would have been better. But then who makes a 1080x720 (or 1152x768, or whatever) screen? It would have to be custom made and add a good $100 to the price. Maybe rev B will come with a 1280x1024 display (and then everyone will complain that it can't quite do 1080 HD!).

If computing devices were vehicles, how would apple's new IPad fit in?

Cell phones are like shoes - they are the essential transportation. When we leave home, we don't ask ourselves "Should I bring my shoes?" We just do.

Music players and ebook readers are like bicycles - they do one thing well, and people don't expect them to do much else.

Personal computers are like cars - they are big and bulky, but they can do everything.

With the IPad, Apple has built the first decent motorcycle. Because it is an Apple product. It is an expensive motorcycle. Car (computer) enthusiasts are critical of it because it lacks all the features of a car: "Where's the roof? "There's no climate control?" "Where do the passengers sit?" "It costs more than my Hyundai, which has all the normal car features."

As in the the vehicle world, most people don't buy motorcycles. But millions of people buy them and like them.

(Most previous attempts at building a motorcycle (tablet) were rather like strapping a chair to the roof of a car. The makers were afraid to remove any of the standard car (laptop) features, so they just added touch to a heavy bulky machine.)

Do people want this new device? This motorcycle of computing? We will see...

The full post is here. It got all of 586 views and no comments. Of course, what I wrote had no influence on the actual design and implementation of the iPad's dock with integrated keyboard accessory. I'm just glad to see that Apple pursued a similar idea for the iPad. And if you read my old post, you'll see that I was hoping for a desktop-class computer that would turn the iPad into basically a monitor for the desktop when docked, and I still think this would be a cool idea.

Really looking forward to picking up one of these with the keyboard dock and cover later this year. I just have to start hiding money from the wife.

No comments probably because there wasn't much to comment on. The exact thing you're describing has been around for years.

Cell phones are like shoes - they are the essential transportation. When we leave home, we don't ask ourselves "Should I bring my shoes?" We just do.

Music players and ebook readers are like bicycles - they do one thing well, and people don't expect them to do much else.

Personal computers are like cars - they are big and bulky, but they can do everything.

With the IPad, Apple has built the first decent motorcycle. Because it is an Apple product. It is an expensive motorcycle. Car (computer) enthusiasts are critical of it because it lacks all the features of a car: "Where's the roof? "There's no climate control?" "Where do the passengers sit?" "It costs more than my Hyundai, which has all the normal car features."

As in the the vehicle world, most people don't buy motorcycles. But millions of people buy them and like them.

(Most previous attempts at building a motorcycle (tablet) were rather like strapping a chair to the roof of a car. The makers were afraid to remove any of the standard car (laptop) features, so they just added touch to a heavy bulky machine.)

Do people want this new device? This motorcycle of computing? We will see...

Excellent analogy.

Having used several of the first XP tablets (Compaq TC, a Fujitsu with blue suede on the back, and a convertible Tosh of some description), I can confirm that it felt like being on a chair strapped to the roof of a car. Approaching a low bridge...

...I'm not saying its great or a failure until I actually try the thing.

Well said "backtomac"!

All you people bitchin' and moanin', "it doesn't do this... it doesn't have that"... HOW IN THE F*** DO YOU KNOW?!

It's not shipping for 60-90 days. If you haven't noticed already, the world of technology can change week to week... let alone in a month... or 1/4 of a year!

How do KNOW there isn't already a BT camera coming out (Belkin)?
How do KNOW that at shipping time, it won't have Flash 10.1 (working, although sluggish as hell on the Tegra/Android platforms)?*** See Below
How do KNOW what USB devices work or don't with the dongle from Apple... or the one coming out from Belkin... or over your WLAN?

Also, you DO NOT know what it is capable of software-wise until iPhone OS 4.0 is available. 3.2 is a stop-gap at this point, if that isn't obvious for y'all.

Repeat after me class: THIS IS NOT A COMPUTER REPLACEMENT (yet)... and was never meant to be in it's first incarnation. Watch the presentation... it is positioned BETWEEN an iPod/iPhone (consumption) and a MacBook (computer).

For those that absolutely must have "touch" on the Macs... not to worry. MacTripper had it right, and eventually, this is how all MacBooks will be. Also get used to the Store concept, it's coming for Apple Mac desktops/laptops as well. I'd say about 2012 for both of the above.

So after bringing my blood-pressure down a bit, and to prove that I am not a typical Apple Fanboi (although I do have stock), reality is that there is a platform that will give Apple a run for it's money... and that is Android and Chrome. (Windows doesn't have a prayer in this space!)

And once again, we'll have the Market Share Wars:

Cheap-"good-enough"-Crap (watch the Tegra videos on YouTube - chop, chop, spit, gurgle, "Tap-It-Again-Sam" demos)vs.
Easy-to-use-Style and Speed (everyone that HAS had the device in his/her hands has been amazed at it's speed and responsiveness!)

... and as the Talking Heads song goes, "Same as it ever was."

BTW: the halo effect around this device is gonna be immense, and dwarf the iPod/iPhone accessory lists. Already today, multiple manu's making bag and stand announcements. Just wait and see what will be available by summer. The market for all manner of apps and add-ons is going to be HUGE!

Just to let ya in on a secret: the main reason I'm so excited about the iPad(?) and bullish on APPL... is because the Tech-Geeks and community absolutely HATES it!... which was expected. iPod and iPhone story all over again. Remember the "Cut-n-Paste" fiasco?

Since I'm a geek myself, Im gonna say it again:...it's not for "us"... it's for "them"!.

Like my parents, in-laws, 2-year old nephew, or girlfriend even know WTF "multi-tasking" is for Pete's sake! And if it WAS available at this point or in the future, would only confuse them (seriously!). Me: I'm looking forward to it in OS 4.0.

**** Flash will come, but with the "ClickToFlash"-like functionality built in (with an Apple disclaimer about security and battery life). SJ didn't want to give in just yet, but he KNOWS it has to be on the iPad. If not, the rest of the Disney board is gonna pitch him out the window at the next meeting, regardless of his share position. Seriously... it will be there... if not just for the kids and education, which he will use as an excuse. Not personally, but through Shiller or Cook.

Knowing what you are talking about would help you understand why you are so wrong. By "Realistic" - AI Forum Member

I would have picked one of these up on day one, IF...the iPad had stylus AND multitouch support. If I had the option of entering via a stylus (like a tablet PC or Modbook) I could use it to write in Japanese/Korean/Chinese. Without that option (and the lack of a front-facing camera) I will have to pass.

I would have picked one of these up on day one, IF...the iPad had stylus AND multitouch support. If I had the option of entering via a stylus (like a tablet PC or Modbook) I could use it to write in Japanese/Korean/Chinese. Without that option (and the lack of a front-facing camera) I will have to pass.

Drawing kanji with my finger is a no-go. So close Apple, so close.

It does have stylus support: Google "Pogo Stylus"... works with all capacitive touch displays, including iPhone/iPod, and now the iPad. Only 14.95.

Knowing what you are talking about would help you understand why you are so wrong. By "Realistic" - AI Forum Member

Except that the iPad's 1024x768 screen doesn't support 720P HD either, which is 1280x720. That leaves 20% of the width missing.

Except the standard for 720p HD only counts the horizontal scan lines (720) Just like a 720p plasma has a 16x9 of 1024 x 768. So technically it's 720p. Computer monitors have been HD for ages. Where did you think they got the idea? HDTV was "invented" because living quarters in Asian countries are smaller so they end up sitting closer to the screen.

Of course the aspect ratio is all wrong, so to get your 768 horizontal lines of resolution you'll have to crop the sides of the picture.

I agree, PixelDoc. Until we all have actually use an actual production iPad at an Apple Store or a borrowed one from a friend, it is very difficult and quite impossible to actually judge a product based on it's merits.

All the bitching and the moaning reminded me of the time when Apple introduced the iMac, then the iPod and later the iPhone . The Bondi iMac had no serial ports,2 USB ports that were seldomly used in Wintel PCs , a severe shortage of software as well as hardware peripherals and of yeah, an underpowered G3 PowerPC chip. In addition, Apple was in danger of becoming irrelevant in the face of Microsoft's onslaught . How about the iPod ? When it was announced, it was just after the September 11 2001 terrorist attack on the WTC and Pentagon. MP3 players were already getting popular with the tech set with players from Nomad and Creative leading the way. The iPod when it was released was very expensive, Mac only , uses Firewire that was only found in Macs and a very small set of Wintel computers and oh yeah, compared to the offerings of other MP3 players at that time, the immortal quote of Cmdr Taco comes to mind " No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame. "

And the iPhone , who can forget the derision of a lot of people when Apple introduced the iPhone. A few software , no physical keyboard, only ATT , uses Edge instead of 3G , very expensive and competing with established phone makers like Nokia , Motorola , Samsung , Palm and phone software companies like Microsoft and Symbian on a mature cellphone market and oh yeah, it's camera and it's functions were not even up to par with what other smartphones had at that time.

The joke that was the iMac jump start Apple to financial recovery , the lame iPod destroyed the competition and the iPhone ate the competition's lunch.

The lesson learned should be this, until the actual product ships to the market and the consumers had the chance to play, own and use the iPad in the real world and the market had pronounced it's judgment and then we can say whether Apple made the correct decision or not.

Thank you Wil Exactly, why I have a buy order in right now for more AAPL. Nice price at the moment. Expect $270. - $300 by the end of fiscal year 2010. That will have paid for all of my iPad gifts (4), and some accessories to boot

Knowing what you are talking about would help you understand why you are so wrong. By "Realistic" - AI Forum Member

Except the standard for 720p HD only counts the horizontal scan lines (720) Just like a 720p plasma has a 16x9 of 1024 x 768. So technically it's 720p. Computer monitors have been HD for ages. Where did you think they got the idea? HDTV was "invented" because living quarters in Asian countries are smaller so they end up sitting closer to the screen.

Of course the aspect ratio is all wrong, so to get your 768 horizontal lines of resolution you'll have to crop the sides of the picture.

Did you even read the text in the link you provided? Starting with the first line "720p refers to a progrssive HDTV signal with 720 horizontal lines and an Aspect Ratio (AR) of 16:9 (1.78:1)"

1024x768 is NOT HD because it is NOT the widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9

You said, "Just like a 720p plasma has a 16x9 of 1024 x 768" - Yeah, those TV's aren't running a native HD resolution - they're ACCEPTING an HD signal and converting it to something that isn't truely HD. Oh and "16x9 of 1024 x 768" ummm you might want to recheck the math on that!

You also said, "Except the standard for 720p HD only counts the horizontal scan lines" which is also not true. Your link even proves otherwise. For something to be considered to be HD, it MUST have an aspect ratio of 16:9. The iPad may be able to play HD content, but it won't be displaying it in true HD

I will certainly be getting one for home. With 4 people in the family there is always competition to get on the iMac and it's usually just to surf, email or watch a film. So to have a device for just $499 that can be taken anywhere in the house is just great.

Flash support would be nice at times, but your reasoning makes no sense.

fuch f:ask

Millions of Mac uses have gone to great lengths to all but rid themselves of what Adobe has thrown upon us (not unlike a steaming pile of crap). Once most of the free thinking users realized FASH for the Mac was a COMIC-RELIEFE -EFFORT (at best) just to say 'we got flash running everywhere' and Adobe had no intentions of putting the time or effort into resolving this problem. Now in their defense Apple had a 5% or less share of the desktop PC market for many years running so I could (to a certain extent) understand Adobe not putting in the efforts what it put into the Windows flash performance...

Then the shot heard round the world... iPhone was pre-announced and this was the beginning of the end when it came to Apple supporting (including) Adobe's CRAP WARE by default. I
, sure they had many reasons but the #1 reason (in my mind) why Apple just said no to crapware was due to the horrid performance Flash has inflicted and why on earth would he taint this otherwise wonderful new-born-child (iPhone v1.0) with the muck associated with flash.

The was reason enough...

Now the mobile device usage/market-share is quite quickly being eaten up by Apple and in the end its network usage that will be the measuring stick of these new mobile platforms device sales will not account for squat if RIMs multipurpose internet device that allows one to get their emails but nothing else then clearly that device will track far lower on a graph depicting handsets used by web surfers.

= Adobe got caught tumbing its nose at Apple and treating the people that enjoy using the platform like 3rd class citizens.
= Adobe might have saved a few million NOT making FLASH all it could be on Mac OS
= Apple is now getting what it deserves.

Lets talk about another company ( a game company ) just to show how a responsible company operates...

Blizzard who is company now responsible for Wold of Warcraft a mildly successful MMO... anyway.. from day one the, core developers have made it quite clear that Apple would be supported in this enormous virtual environment and here we are 5+ years later and Apple is very much a FIRST CLASS citizen in that environment.

- Am I saying some things couldn't be better? No!
- Am I saying we have EXACTLY the same levels of optimization vs. our Windows Cousins? No!
- Am I saying we are pretty darn close? Yes, thats exactly what I'm saying

Blizzard can't pull the kind of crap Adobe can... If there is a SHOW STOPPING BUG in the Mac release they WILL hold a software rollout until all the WoW platforms get updated together. Same goes for the Windows release... and of course if it's not a SHOW STOPPING BUG the fixes will get rolled out to _insert-platform_ as they are confirmed fixed.

Adobe should have had the courtesy to show OS X and its users similar support... Instead the Corporation (project leaders?) took the easy way out and /ignore OSX was their standard operating procedure.

Well here are old and oft used quote but it certainly sums up the entire debacle: Adobe on Apple Devices?

- You Reap What You Sow
- What goes around comes around
- Never burn your bridges

I agree, PixelDoc. Until we all have actually use an actual production iPad at an Apple Store or a borrowed one from a friend, it is very difficult and quite impossible to actually judge a product based on it's merits.

Absolutely. It's deju vu all over again.

This is the exact same scenario with different names and hardware bits. It's as if so-called "tech journalists" have their own special edition MadLibs for Apple product releases. Simply fill in the blanks and presto, you've got a hit-whoring article any Apple-hater can love! Swap floppy disk for Flash. FireWire for stylus. Camera for keyboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wil

All the bitching and the moaning reminded me of the time when Apple introduced the .... the Bondi iMac had no serial ports,2 USB ports that were seldomly used in Wintel PCs , a severe shortage of software as well as hardware peripherals and of yeah, an underpowered G3 PowerPC chip.

By the tone of that little chunk, I'd guess that you were definitely NOT a Mac user at the time.

As a Mac user since pretty much the beginning, there's plenty of software. (Yes, the list of games is pathetic, at best.) If there's a specific application that's "missing" there have always been file translation utilities. It ALL really boils down to the data, after all.

As for "underpowered G3". The G3 at the time was a fantastic chip. It ran faster, cooler and more efficiently than the furnaces churned out by Intel. Remember the megahertz myth? Yes, it was real. At the time, the same G3 chip was used in every Mac from PowerMac to PowerBook to iMac.

fuch f:ask
Millions of Mac uses have gone to great lengths to all but rid themselves of what Adobe has thrown upon us (not unlike a steaming pile of crap).

Adobe should have had the courtesy to show OS X and its users similar support... Instead the Corporation (project leaders?) took the easy way out and /ignore OSX was their standard operating procedure.

Ever hear of spell check?

If it weren't for the Macintosh, there would BE NO ADOBE. They should have some loyalty and release their software with feature parity!
I use Photoshop, Acrobat Pro and Illustrator and until there are alternatives, I'll continue to use them. It's a bummer Adobe killed Freehand and most likely because it was Mac only (i could be wrong on that!

Even the core of the MS Office apps, Word and Excel (not sure about PowderPoint) started on the Mac and were ported later.

The biggest problem with Flash is the complete lack of design discipline of show-off web site designers.

As for Flash itself, ClickToFlash works fine for me. If there's some Flash content I really want to see, I click. If not, it doesn't waste my time, bandwidth or CPU cycles downloading and displaying a bunch of superfluous drivel. I have a TV for that

will the apple remote work??? can i use my current wireless keyboard??

i will definitely buy it for my mom and dad.

I think this is the real market. My folks don't like computers, they have to use them for email and such, but they don't like them and at least 30% of the population is there. Give them a keyboard when they need one, but easy touch screening for everything else and barely an OS to get mad at and they will be happy.

The Mother of all flip-flops!!Support our troops by educating yourself and being a responsible voter. Democracy and Capitalism REQUIRE Intelligence and Wisdom if they are to be worth a damn beyond...

Can you write with it? I don't care about handwriting recognition at all, but it would be nice to be able to write and project whatever is being written. Wouldn't the touch stuff leave hand marks all over the place? I have a couple of Tablet PC's from HP and Lenovo. Really nice for writing and I specifically avoided getting the touch screen option. Don't need pressure sensitive but the ability to annotate pdf files at least would be great. I am not talking of writing out a whole lecture on an iPad, just a few lines here and there.

Originally Posted by Wil
I agree, PixelDoc. Until we all have actually use an actual production iPad at an Apple Store or a borrowed one from a friend, it is very difficult and quite impossible to actually judge a product based on it's merits.
Absolutely. It's deju vu all over again.

This is the exact same scenario with different names and hardware bits. It's as if so-called "tech journalists" have their own special edition MadLibs for Apple product releases. Simply fill in the blanks and presto, you've got a hit-whoring article any Apple-hater can love! Swap floppy disk for Flash. FireWire for stylus. Camera for keyboard.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wil
All the bitching and the moaning reminded me of the time when Apple introduced the .... the Bondi iMac had no serial ports,2 USB ports that were seldomly used in Wintel PCs , a severe shortage of software as well as hardware peripherals and of yeah, an underpowered G3 PowerPC chip.
By the tone of that little chunk, I'd guess that you were definitely NOT a Mac user at the time.

As a Mac user since pretty much the beginning, there's plenty of software. (Yes, the list of games is pathetic, at best.) If there's a specific application that's "missing" there have always been file translation utilities. It ALL really boils down to the data, after all.

As for "underpowered G3". The G3 at the time was a fantastic chip. It ran faster, cooler and more efficiently than the furnaces churned out by Intel. Remember the megahertz myth? Yes, it was real. At the time, the same G3 chip was used in every Mac from PowerMac to PowerBook to iMac.

Some great points.

Apple don't need flash. They've got their own tech or they use open tech or they use their tech with open tech. Shrugs* We don't need Adobe or their patronising support for the Mac platform. (Lack of feature parity, bloated upgrades and resource hog software...) The iPad is about a new Paradigm shift away from the 1984 Gui.

Do we need USB? If it's included in the dock? I'm not sure we need the 'missing' camera feature at the moment. But as bandwidth, cpu and power saving features improve...it will come.

Developers will flock around the iPad like bees around honey. It's going to be easy to develop for. 30-70 cut of revenue, no print, no distribution costs...you can leave behind all the 'hard work' legacy desktop metaphors and bumf and have a nice, OS-X lite and clean start. What's not to like? You can do all the 140,000 things an iPhone can do but with wayyyy more cpu/gpu power and the screen real estate of a personal a4 sheet of paper. S'funnee. That seems to be the size people of the last hundred years or so have done an awful lot of work on...

90% of people may not like or get that based from a product they've not(!) used...but they will get it. Time to bend the wallet over for another reaming.

I'm amazed at the people, reviewers and fans who don't 'get it.'

I can't wait to hold one and get her on the sofa. Baby.

Lemon Bon Bon.

You know, for a company that specializes in the video-graphics market, you'd think that they would offer top-of-the-line GPUs...

If it weren't for the Macintosh, there would BE NO ADOBE. They should have some loyalty and release their software with feature parity!

Appears we're cut from the same cloth You stated a fact there!

Quote:

I use Photoshop, Acrobat Pro and Illustrator and until there are alternatives, I'll continue to use them. It's a bummer Adobe killed Freehand and most likely because it was Mac only (i could be wrong on that!

Yes... I am also extremely miffed about Adobe killing FreeHand for a far less capable Illustrator. They very well could have kept FreeHand running as well, but decided to go the kill route instead. I still use it (in SL) for about 75% of my packaging design work. BTW: it also ran on Windows since WinNT. Not sure about Win7.

Quote:

The biggest problem with Flash is the complete lack of design discipline of show-off web site designers.

...add the fact, that in most cases, it's a thoroughly wasted experience in Flash, which would/could be much better using existing standards-based mark-up using CSS and AJAX. It's just that the tools made by Adobe made it so easy. Good visualizing tools are still somewhat weak pulling all the new technologies together for non-tech enthusiasts (like photographers for instance), being able to create their own Image-Branded sites.

Quote:

As for Flash itself, ClickToFlash works fine for me. If there's some Flash content I really want to see, I click. If not, it doesn't waste my time, bandwidth or CPU cycles downloading and displaying a bunch of superfluous drivel. I have a TV for that

I couldn't live without it. I have a slow internet connection, that becomes unbearable with Flash, as well as running any browser without an Ad Blocker.

Knowing what you are talking about would help you understand why you are so wrong. By "Realistic" - AI Forum Member

Ever hear of spell check?
The biggest problem with Flash is the complete lack of design discipline of show-off web site designers.

Its also very hardware intensive, especially on Macs. Pretty embarrassing that a Nehaelm Mac Pro can't play Hulu videos in full screen without dropping frames, see here. It also has a tendency to crash your browser which is really annoying with 10 tabs open. The new safari has mitigated that to a large extent but it still happens.

Why can't it print? I Have a blue tooth printer, this thing has a USB adapter - there are two potential ways to print already. A lot of people making assumptions based on zero facts.

Apple should be able to offer printing fairly easily in future hardware/software. I actually think this is a coming feature myself.

Quote:

Why does it need to multitask - can you see two applications on this screen at the same time? I think not, so quickly flick between open apps. Easy.

Then you blow it here. It is almost like people don't understand what multitasking is. Frankly this is probably the case as people don't seem to get it even with Mac OS. So I can only suggest you address this ignorance of the technology yourself via some technical education.

In any event the ability for the user to start his own tasks and run them in background is huge. The types of apps that one often wants to run in background do not need the user interface to be useful. Examples are starting long downloads in background while using entirely different tools I'm the forground, GPS data logging, alternative media sources (Internet radio), device monitoring/data acquisition and a host of others. This doesn't even take into account cooperative apps like the iWork suite.

Frankly any of these could be interesting and useful but a few could break new ground for Apple. Device monitoring and data collection being one of those that could see significant adoption. All you need is an app that runs independantly of the foreground user process.

What one needs to remember is that each and everyone of these tablets comes with a number of RF communication ports that can easily access the local environment. This means nothing has to be added to the iPad to establish communications with the world outside of the device.

In a nut shell objecting to multitasking is simple telling the world you don't understand it or are a person with simple needs. That is OK but when you publically dis multitasking you are really irritating the users that can and do leverage such features.

Did you even read the text in the link you provided? Starting with the first line "720p refers to a progrssive HDTV signal with 720 horizontal lines and an Aspect Ratio (AR) of 16:9 (1.78:1)"

1024x768 is NOT HD because it is NOT the widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9

You said, "Just like a 720p plasma has a 16x9 of 1024 x 768" - Yeah, those TV's aren't running a native HD resolution - they're ACCEPTING an HD signal and converting it to something that isn't truely HD. Oh and "16x9 of 1024 x 768" ummm you might want to recheck the math on that!

You also said, "Except the standard for 720p HD only counts the horizontal scan lines" which is also not true. Your link even proves otherwise. For something to be considered to be HD, it MUST have an aspect ratio of 16:9. The iPad may be able to play HD content, but it won't be displaying it in true HD

It would require a 578 height with a 192px letter box padding above and below while the rest of the display [landscape] is 1024.

You are correct from a strict technical sense that the iPad is not displaying true HD resolution.

But you are pushing your point too far. Movies are not shot in 1.78 (16x9) aspect ratio, movies are shot in 1.85 or 2.39. When you see a movie in 1.78 that means it was cropped. Are you saying if the movie is viewed in its true aspect ratio on an HD monitor that means its not true HD?

People make too big a deal about resolution. Resolution is important, but there are many techniques to trick the eye with resolution. Whats far more important is color depth and contrast. They are much more noticeable than resolution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustFrozen

1024x768 is NOT HD because it is NOT the widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9